The Argosy, Christmas 1912 — page 24: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 stuff. We had got into the habit of taking a good look in all directions with our sea-glasses, and then, making no sail, would go below to eat together. When one slept the other watched. But no sail came to cheer us. Day after day the monotonous existence continued, and we grew almost to hate each other. Two people cannot live absolutely cut off from all the world without growing tired of each other. But our reason, and our long years of friendship, kept us in check. There were frequent booming re- ports like cannon as a piece of the floe would go plunging into the sea. There was an almost continual cracking sound that alarmed us at first, but to which we at last became accustomed. What it meant neither of us knew, un- less it was the preliminary infantry practise getting the ice ready for the heavy artillery that accompanied the ‘splitting off of big pieces. , One day Ordway and I stood at the very corner, looking off toward the southeast. “Dag,” he said, “it seems to me I see something away off there. It looks like a speck now. It isn’t a ship—at least I don’t think so. Do you see it?” I looked carefully as he pointed. I saw nothing. I glanced at Ordway in some alarm. “Oh,” he said understandingly, “T’m not going off my head. Don’t you worry about that. Perhaps my eyesight is a little better than yours.” “Tt never was before,” I replied un- wisely. “ The sun on the ice blinds some peo- ple,” he came back at me. ‘Tf mine, why not yours?” I asked hotly. ‘‘ This isn’t Africa.” “No, but you—” I don’t know what he was going to say. I doubt if he did two minutes after. There came a ripping sound, then the cracking of rifles increased a thou- sand times, and after that a boom that might have been heard ten miles. The great field trembled, and heaved as > THE ARGOSY. though a volcano was about to break loose. ; With that boom the berg split in twain, and the part we were on tilted backward, throwing us both down. Had it tilted.the other way we must assuredly have gone into the sea. Fortunately it did not go over. Yet, whether this were fortunate for us or not was to be seen. We stared at each other in abject consternation. “My God!” shouted Ordway, with an accent I had never heard in his voice before, “ there goes, on the other piece, all we’ve got to eat!” CHAPTER V. HUNGER AND TRAGEDY. I FELT, at that moment, the most paralyzing fear I had ever experienced. It seemed as though my very blood froze solidly in my veins. From the expression on Ordway’s face I judged he felt as I did. | For several minutes after he had made his startling statement we stood and stared at each other. __ It was not, as I look back and re- member now, the fear of death that held us in icy thrall. We had faced that together many times when neither had shown cowardice or fear. But to think what was before us! We were already half frozen, kept in condition only by plenty of good food and hot coffee and exercise. All three of these means of salvation had been Swept away by that crashing roar that split the berg and parted us from our supplies. There could be but little romping exercise on that sloping, slippery sur- face. What was left to us? Our food, of course, was gone. But, as before, there ,might come within range of our guns a northern goose, or other fowl of the icy regions, but our cook-stove and oil fuel had been swept away from us on the larger por- tion of the berg along with our sup- plies. CoOMmicbook CO